painting (oil): ["Tibullus in the House of Delia"]

An historical scene with figures at a table. In the centre of the picture is a young woman with light brown hair. She wears an off the shoulder white lace blouse with blue bows at the shoulders and a red bodice. She looks pensively to the left, and touches a pendant she wears around her neck, with her left hand, which also holds a pink rose. In her right, she loosely holds a goblet of wine. To the right of the woman is a young man, who appears to be a suitor. He touches her lightly on the shoulder, gazing at her. He has short light brown hair, and wears a red striped cloak; he has gold rings on his fingers. On the woman's left is a bearded man who is turning into the picture and holding aloft a silver, wide rimmed goblet in his left hand. Another man adopts an identical pose on the right of the picture. In the foreground is the table, with fruit on a dish, a knife, a handkerchief and a small condiment pot. The scene comes from Bk 1 of Horace's poems. Tibellus was Roman poet, who took advantage of Delia's husband's absence in the army to become her lover. He later discovered that she was receiving other lovers, and he eventually gave her up. 1) Sir Edmund Davies (Edmund Davies sale: Christies, 15/5/1942) 2) Baron von Grundherr of Penrith, Cumberland 3) Bought from Max de Beer of Picadilly (art dealer)